Space rock extraordinaire returns to the studio for a welcome result

Two Saturdays ago, the live stream of the SpaceX launch fixed 10 million pairs of eyes to television sets (and computer screens) around the globe. It was hardly the only news in the world, but for a fleeting moment, it felt like it was. Space has inspired a culture of thought as vast as itself; Frank Sinatra’s idea of the cosmos was vastly different than the one Stanley Kubrick presented in 2001, even though both men technically told stories of flying to the moon. Never mind that everyone thinks of the universe differently–it represents an abandonment of what we know, or care to know, and it never fails to be fascinating.

Cut to All Things Being Equal, an album that Bob and Doug might want to consider listening to aboard the ISS. This is Peter Kember’s first recorded solo work as Sonic Boom in 30 years, a time during which he’s produced records by Panda Bear and Beach House. The trippy, zonked-out vibes return for All Things Being Equal, a weird yet oddly comforting endeavor. The album gently invokes the mysteries of space without ever explicitly mentioning them. Kember doesn’t attempt to make any thunderous revelations, but rather takes the perspective of a single speck on the planet. “Imagine you’re with long lost friends/ Imagine seeing them again,” he ponders on the aptly named opener, “Just Imagine.” His words feel like they’re drifting in orbit around the Earth; they tease some grand omniscience, but at their core, they’re as innocent as a curious puppy.

As for his musical approach, Kember is possessed by the hypnotic nature of song–that is, he uses loops like they’re going out of style. “Just Imagine” is only one instance of his repetitive tendencies; he keeps doubling back to the same verse on “The Way That You Live:”  “Make it about the way that you live/ Make it about the love that you give.” It’s almost as if he’s expecting the listener to respond.

His instincts, however, guide him well. “The Way That You Live,” along with most other songs on All Things Being Equal, are nice and wholesome, adopting adorable synthesizers to underscore his admiration of life’s precious subtleties. Impatient listeners will be discouraged by tracks like “On a Summer’s Day,” which stretches Kember’s faith in musical loops past the six-minute mark. It’s true that All Things Being Equal can be slow, but so can a summer’s day, and it’s doubtful that people who cherish one of those would spare a second of it, not with the Earth spinning round and round.